2006 PPG/Street Rodder Road Tour - Leg 4

The PPG / STREET RODDER Tour #4 gave real meaning to the phrase, "having fun with your car." On this trip, we combined drag racing, rock 'n' roll music, and behind-the-scenes looks at some incredible facilities, and wound up at the largest street rod event in the world. The distance between Norwalk, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky, is actually only slightly more than 300 miles and can be easily driven in five hours. Getting there, however, isn't the Road Tour's only objective-having lots of fun and seeing interesting places is what it's all about.

The Blue Suede Cruise is in its fifth year at Norwalk Dragway, midway between Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio. This beautiful facility is perfect for a weekend event and the dragstrip was open for fun runs all weekend. Combine the auto activities during the day with rock 'n' roll music at night and it was the perfect way to kick off the fourth leg of the Road Tour.

We gathered at 8 a.m. on Monday, with folks from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, and even Hawaii on this tour, and everyone was ready to roll. After a brief stop at Thomas Edison's birthplace in Milan, Ohio, we traveled south and then west on Route 30, the original Lincoln Highway.

Our lunch stop was at the newly relocated Hagan Street Rod Necessities in New Bremen, Ohio. Pete Hagan recently moved his family and business from Carson City, Nevada, to the farmland of western Ohio. After a good lunch, shop tour, and a look at the Coopster '33 Ford roadster project, it was time to continue our journey south. Down I-75 to I-70, we made a brief stop at the National Museum of the Air Force near the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Two hours is not enough time at this huge facility, but we did see some amazing planes and exhibits.

Kenny and Ray Gollahon at Brookville Roadster were our hosts for Monday evening in Brookville, Ohio. After yet another great meal, we were treated to a complete tour of their facilities. They have been pioneers in the steel street rod body market for almost three decades, starting with their Model A roadster body. Then they turned the street rod hobby upside down with the introduction of their steel Deuce roadster body a few years ago. The latest addition to their line of bodies is the amazing steel '32 Ford three-window coupe body they introduced last year, and it's something for which our industry has long been waiting. Judging by the number of orders they have received, they did it right. Tuesday morning it was Westward Ho as we continued across I-70 into Indiana and then on to Indianapolis and the Speedway. It is a very cool sight to drive into the track tunnel and come out in the infield of the most famous speedway in the world. The museum was directly in front of us, and preparations for the Brickyard 400 were already taking place. The NASCAR folks were running on the following weekend. We spent about an hour in the museum and then took the bus tour around the track. It was a fun couple of hours on hallowed ground. After lunch, we made a three-hour drive through the beautiful southern Indiana countryside to Jasper, Indiana. Bret Voelkel and the crew at Air Ride Technologies were our hosts for Tuesday evening. After some great German food, Bret gave us an up-close-and-personal tour of their facility. It was a very informative and interesting evening with folks who know their product and their market.

On Wednesday morning, it was time to get to the Nationals. It was only 90 miles to Louisville, so we had time to check out one of the most famous attractions around-the Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory via a one-hour tour. The Tour #4 group surprised me with a personalized baseball bat that will be a cherished remembrance of a fun trip and a great group of folks. After lunch, we headed to the fairgrounds and registration. Our PPG / STREET RODDER Tour #4 was wrapping up, but the NSRA Street Rod Nationals were just getting started.

It was a fun week on Tour #4. The new Road Tour format seems to be working well, and we invite everyone to join us on future tours and to "come along for the ride."